Networking and storage are becoming more and more intertwined as computing devices are deployed in highly distributed modes of operation. For example, stored data may be distributed across many computing devices or network nodes for a given network. The given network may be configured as a type of cloud-based service such as software as a service (SAAS) or infrastructure as a service (IAAS). Typically, storage and network subsystems for individual network nodes are architecturally designed as separate subsystems. As a result of being on separate subsystems, data arriving from the network to storage at a given network node or vice versa needs to be routed between the subsystems. Often, data may be routed through system memory to move the data between the two subsystems.